Trigger motor for vickers machine guns



-Nimh 4, 19,24.

H. O. RUSSELL ET Al.

TRIGGER MOTOR FOR VICKERS. MACHINE GUNS Filed April 18. 1922 2 Sheets-'Sheet l n A 1,485,717 H C). RUSSELL. ET AL TRIGGER MOTOR FOR VKERS MACHINE GUNS March 4 1924;

/ Filed April 18. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 4, 1924.

UNITED ,STATES HERBERT O.. RUSSELL AND GARNET C. BROWN, OF DETROIT, `lVlICAHIGl-AN.

TRIGGER 1%![0'1013/k FOR VICKERSVMACHINE GUNS.

Application filed. April 18, 1922. Serial No. 555,193.

To all whom t may concern c Be it known that we, HERBERTy O.y RUSSELL and GARNET C. BROWN, citizens of the United States, residing at 4825 Woodward Ave., Detroit, in the county of l/Vayne and State of Michigan, have invented, certain new and .useful Improvements in Trigger Motors for Vickers Machine Guns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to trigger motors for Vickers machine guns adapted to .be operated by the Nelson gun control ory any similar type of synchronizing device. The improved mechanism provides a single shot feature for the Vickers gun making the latter a semi-automatic gun without a modification of the gun itself.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement herein fully described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings;

Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section showing the improved trigger motor in its applied relation to a Vickers gun.

Figure 2 is an end view of the same.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detailed view of the plunger trip lever, floating arm, and lift arm showing the relation of said parts to each other.

Figure 4 is a detailed view of the trip lever.

Figure 5 is a detailed view of the floating arm.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view of the forward end of the plunger.

The improved trigger motor is shown as mounted upon the front cover of a Vickers gun designated generally at 1 and operated by a crank 2 in turn operated by a lever 3 to which is connected at the lower end the impulse cable of a Nelson gun control (not shown). The crank'arm 2 is connected with and adapted to thrust inwardly a plunger 4 which is returned by a retracting spring 5 in the housing 6 of the trigger motor.

The plunger 4 carries at its forward end a trip lever 7 which is mounted on a pivot 8 carried by the plunger. Mounted upon the same pivot 8 is a floating arm 9. The trip lever and floating arm are thus both pivoted on a common axis and a shoulder of the trip lever rests against a shoulder of the oating arm, said shoulder being represented at 10. Between the floating arm and a tail portion of the trip lever is an expansion spring 11, said spring acting to hold the shoulders 10 in contact while permitting the nose of the trip lever to move upwardly in passing rearwardly over the trigger of the machine gun. Another spring 12 is arranged between the floating arm 9 and a wall 13 of the clevis portion of the plunger 4. Said spring 12 keeps the nose of the trip lever held in an up position due to the contact between the shoulders at 10. The

the machine gun but does not operate with.V

the plunger. This lift arm is actuated by the rising of the carrier upon the face of the lock of the Vickers gun. Lifting this carrier raises the lift arm and correspondingly elevates the floating arm. Such movement compresses the spring 12 and by means of the spring 11 the floating arm depresses the nose of the trip lever.

The operation of the mechanism is as follows. Assume the lock of the gun to be in its forward position and the carrier to be in an up position and the plunger of the trigger motor to be in a forward position. Under such position of the Parts, due to the position of the lever arm, the nose of the trip lever will be down and when a movement is given to the crank arm 2', the backward movement of the plunger will trip the trigger Voperating element 19 of the machine gun, causing a shot to be fired. When the lock recoils, the lift arm 17 is allowed to drop inasmuch as the carrier rides out from beneath it. The dropping of the lift arm allows the spring 12 to come into action and immediately the nose of the trip lever is raised. After the lock and carrier have recoiled and are returning to their orignal positions the lock comes to rest at its forward position before the carrier rises. Consequently after the lock moves forward the trigger will not be tripped by the nose of the trip lever inasmuch as it is not its up position. Any

movement of the plunger before the Carrier rises will pass the nose of the trip lever over the top of the member 19. lhen the carrier rises it strikes the lift arm 17 and the nose of the trip lever is at once depressed so that any movement of the plunger at that time Will cause the trip lever to function and fire the gun.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. In a trigger motor, a plunger operable by an impulse generator, a floating arm carried by said plunger, Va trigger trip lever also carried by said plunger and controlled as to its attitude by said ioating arm, the latter in turn being controlled by a moving element of the machine gun on Which the trigger motor is used.

2. In a trigger motor, a plunger operable by an impulse generator, a floating arm carried by said plunger, a trigger trip lever also Carried by said plunger and controlled as to its attitude by said floating arm, the latter in turn being controlled by a moving element of the machine gun on which the trigger motor is used, and yield' able means connecting said arm and' lever to hold the same in operative relation to each other.

3. In a trigger motor, a plunger operable by an impulse generator, a floating arm.

Carried by said plunger, a-trigger trip lever also carried by said plunger and Cont-rolled as to its attitude by said oating arm, the latter in turn being controlled by a movingv element of the machine gun on which the trigger motor is used, and yieldable means connecting said arm and plunger and acting to move the trip lever to an inactive position.

4C. In a trigger motor, a plunger, a floating arm carried thereby, a trigger trip lever also carried by the plunger, and a lift arm arranged to be'operated by' a movable ele ment of the gun on which the trigger motor is used said lift arm cooperating With the ioating arm to set the trip lever in or out of tripping position.

5. In a trigger motor, a plunger, a floating arm carried thereby, a trigger trip lever also carried by the plunger, and a lift arm arranged to be operated by a movable element of the gun on which the trigger motor is used, said lift arm cooperating With the floating arm to set the trip lever in or out oi? tripping position, and means for rendering the trip lever inactive Awhen the lift arm is lowered.

In testimony whereof we aHi-X our signatures HERBERT O. RUSSELL. GABNET C. BROWN. 

